Ontario to amend controversial Bill 5, add duty to consult provisions amid First Nations uproar

Liam Casey · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 28, 2025 8:40 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Premier Doug Ford's authorities is acceptable to capitulate to immoderate First Nation demands connected a arguable mining bill, though it volition not termination the projected instrumentality outright, The Canadian Press has learned.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce accidental the state volition amend Bill 5 to explicitly see work to consult provisions passim the bill.

The bill, which seeks to velocity up mining projects, is acceptable to spell done amendments Wednesday astatine committee arsenic it moves towards becoming law.

The caller instrumentality would make alleged "special economical zones" wherever it tin suspend provincial and municipal projects, but volition besides adhd successful "special Indigenous economical zones" astatine the petition of First Nations for projects they privation fast-tracked.

The state is acceptable to designate the Ring of Fire successful bluish Ontario arsenic the archetypal specified zone, a determination that has acceptable disconnected a firestorm of choler among First Nations, galore of which person pledged to instrumentality the combat to the land.

But Rickford and Lecce accidental the state volition not designate the Ring of Fire a peculiar economical portion until it meaningfully consults with each First Nations successful the area.

"We are going to enunciate explicitly successful each 1 that the work to consult is determination and it volition beryllium upheld to the highest standards," Rickford said.

"The purpose is to marque First Nations partners."

Once the measure is passed, apt adjacent week, Ford, Rickford and Lecce volition conscionable instantly with First Nation leadership, they said.

First Nations chiefs say bill should beryllium killed outright

First Nation chiefs person shown up en masse astatine Queen's Park from the acold reaches of bluish Ontario to archer the politicians that the state is going astir this successful the incorrect way. They accidental the authorities has already failed successful its work to consult.

The Chiefs of Ontario, which represents each 133 First Nations successful the province, said the measure should beryllium killed outright truthful they tin beryllium consulted from the start.

Their leader, Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, met with Ford past week astatine the premier's home, wherever helium told him astir the problems with the bill.

WATCH | Ontario First Nations leaders accidental communities volition instrumentality a basal if measure passes:

That gathering touched disconnected talks with galore First Nation chiefs, successful which the ministers said they planned to enactment unneurotic with them to make the regulations that volition enforce the caller law.

"We volition not usage the authorities similar a peculiar economical portion until we've meaningfully consulted," Lecce said.

The ministers accidental they've received a fig of large suggestions from First Nations.

Rickford and Lecce accidental determination are ample infrastructure projects they privation to implicit to assistance immoderate distant First Nations get disconnected diesel state that they usage for energy generation.

They are besides proposing to assistance physique roads to link communities to the provincial road system, since clime alteration is wreaking havoc with wintertime crystal roads the communities trust connected to haul successful each sorts of goods.